Game apparatus.



R. J. GRAHAM.

Patented Mar. ll, I902.

GAME APPARATUS.

(Application filed June 26,

(m5 Model.)

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ROBERT J. GRAHAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,303, dated March11, 1902.

Application filed June 26,1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and amusing Game Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to a new and am using game apparatus, and has forits object to providea game-board which shall be used in connection withthree ordinary dice and two pegs for each player. The game-boardconsists of a central portion called the bank, a circle of holessurrounding said bank, a series of holes leading from different pointsof the circle 'into the bank, and a series of holes called the debtorsbanks. The object of the game is to start from a certain point and enterthe bank first, each player moving according to the throw of the dice.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand hoW to make and use the same, the constructionand operation will now be described in detail,referring to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of the game-board, and Fig. 2 is across-sectional view of the same. i

In carrying out my invention as here embodied A represents aboard madeof wood or any other suitable material, which is for the convenience ofstoring hinged in the center at the point B. Upon the surface of thisboard and in the center of the same is represented anoctagonal portion0, called the bank.

D is a circle of holes surrounding the central portion or bank 0. Thiscircle of holes comprises four series of one hundred and sixty holeseach. They are arranged in four series to accommodate at least fourplayers, so that each one can peg in a different circle Withoutinterfering with the other players pegs. Of course, if desired, therecould be only one circle of one hundred and sixty holes or there couldbe more than four series, this making no material difference in SerialNo. 66,078. (No model.)

the playing of the game. Every tenth set of holes in this circle will bedistinguished in some suitable manner, preferably by coloring around theholes, and every alternate one will be a different eolorthat is to say,the first will be blue, then red, then blue, and then red again, and soon around the circle, all those of the same color being indicated by theletter E, and those of the other color being indicated by the letter F.Each one of these sixteen sets of colored holes are called safeties-ihat is to say, in pegging around the circle if any one of thesecolored set of holes have been reached or passed you cannot go back tothe same.

Gr represents a series of twenty-three holes extending from the outercircle inward to the bank. There are eightof these series of holes, andthey are arranged like the spokes of a wheel, and we will hereinaftercall them alleys or shorts, and these alleys or shorts G lead from everyalternate colored set of holes in the outer circle. These colored setsof holes are lettered E in the drawings, and hereinafter these coloredsets of holes E will be called safety-shorts to distinguish them fromthe ordinary safeties F. The holes composing the alleys or shorts arearranged in four sets for the same purpose as the four sets of holes inthe circle-that is, to allow for at least four players to play withoutinterfering one with the otherand the tenth set of four holes in thealley or short G are also surrounded With a distinguishing color thesame as the safeties F and are indicated by the letter If in thedrawings. Extending inward from the circle opposite each one of thesafeties F is a series of holes I. There may be any number of holesarranged within this series, and it is what I prefer to call the debtorsbanks. In each of the four corners of the board are arranged a series ofholes J, and there may be any number of holes within these series, andthey also form what I term as the debtors bank, the purpose of whichwill be hereinafter described. In playing the game eachplayer has twopegs, each players peg being preferably of a diiferent color, and eachplayer may have three ordinary dice, or three dice may be made to answerfor all the players.

In beginning the game a point opposite one of the alleys or shorts G isselected from which to start, and then the first player throws the dice.If the numbers upon the faces uppermost of the three dice amount to anynumher from one to ten, he will place one of his pegs in the holenumbered to represent that sum. If he throws ten, it will carry him intothe first safety F. If he throws any number from ten up to eighteen, hewill go into debt the difference between ten and the number he hasthrown-es, for instance, if he threw seventeen he would go in debtseven. In other words, he would be seven worse off than when he started,and he would keep account of that debt in one of the debtors banks J. Ifin the next throw he threw any number from one up to ten, inclusivesay,for instance, eight-it would take him out of the debtors bank and givehim one in the circle to begin on; but if he again threwany numberbetween ten and eighteenhe would go that much more in debt representedby the difference between ten and the number he threw. If, though, heshould throw eighteen, which would represent the highest number possibleto be thrown with the dice, it would give him the privilege of advancinghis peg any number of holes from one up to and including ten. Thus anythrow from one up to and including ten and also the throw eighteen arein favor of the player and allows him to advance. Any throw from ten toeighteen acts against the player and either forces him to peg backwardor to go into debt. After the player has passed a safety F or asafety-short E he cannot in pegging backward go back of either thesafeties F or safety-shorts Eas, for instance, if a players peg was uponone of the safeties F and he should throw seventeen this would be sevenagainst him, in which case he would leave one peg in the safetyF andtake his other peg and put it in the seventh hole in one of the debtorsbanks I opposite the safety in which his other peg stands, and before hecan advance around the circle he will have to throw a number sufficientto throw him out of debt; but if his peg should be in the seventh holeupon the circle and he should .throw seventeen he will then peg backwardto the safety.

If in throwing the player should land upon one of the safety-shorts E,he will then be entitled to peg backward upon the alley or short Eopposite such safety-short-that is, if in his next throw after landingupon the safetyshort he should throw any number from one up to ten,inclusive, he would advance up the alleyorshort G to the numberrepresenting the sum he had thrown, or if he throws eighteen he would beentitled to place his peg in the safety H but if in his first throwafter landing upon the safety-short E he should throw any number fromten to eighteen he would then go in debt in one of the debtors banks Jand also forfeit his chance of going into the bank by that particularshort. After he has thrown himself out of debt he would have to advancearound the circle until he had landed upon another short, for though theplayer should succeed in pegging so that his peg would be in or 'pastthe safety H in the alley or short G he could not then be forcedbackward into the circle D. Then in pegging backward he only could pegbackward to the safety H, and the balance of his debt would be indicatedin one of the debtors banks Jwith the other peg. Vithin the bank 0opposite each one of the shorts G are holes K. The first playersucceeding in peg ging into one of these holes wins the game.Oountingthis hole K, there are just fourteen holes from the safety Hinto the bank, and the only possible chance of entering the bank fromthe safety H is by throwing eighteen. If the player should throweighteen and his peg should be either upon the safety H or between thesame and the bank, he is entitled to enter the bank from whateverposition he may be in, provided, of course, that he is out of debt.

Except in the case just described of throwing eighteen a player cannotenter the bank in one throw until he is within ten holes of the bank,and then he has to throw the exact number required to enter the bank. Ifhe throws more, he would go in debt the difference between the numberrequired and the number he threw, unless he threw a number between tenand eighteen, and then he would go in debt the same as before describedthe difference between ten and the number he threw. We will say,forinstance, the player's peg was in the eighth hole between one of thesafeties H and the bank (3'. He would then be required to throw six toenter the bank. If he threw six, he would be out. If he threw any numberbetween one and six, he would advance according to the number thrown;but if he should throw nine he would have to peg back the differencebetween six and nine, or three holes, which would then put him in thefifth hole, and then he would be required to throw nine before he couldgo out. If he kept on going backward, he could not go any farther thanthe safety H, in which he would leave one peg and with the other pegindicate his indebtedness in one of the debtors banks J, from which hewould have to peg himself out before he could again advance from thesafety H up toward the bank 0.

If the player did not succeed in landing upon any one of thesafety-shorts in passing around the circle, he would then be forced topass inward upon the eighth or last short G, the same as if the circleled into the bank.

In summing up, the principal rules of the game are that for the playerto advance it is necessary for him to throw either eighteen or a numberfrom one up to ten, inclusive, or rather from two up to ten, (for it isimpossible to throw less than three with three dice,) and if he throwsany number from ten to eighteen he will either be compelled to pegbackward, go in the debtors bank, or both,

according; to the positionhe is in when he has made such a "throw. Afterhe has passed either the safeties F or safety-shorts E he cannot becompelled to go back of these points; but he then pegs his indebtednessin the debtors banks, and whenever he is fortunate enough to land uponone of the safety-shorts he is entitled to peg up the short G oppositesaid safety-short; but if he is compelled to peg back again to thatsafety-short or go into debt he forfeits his right to again advance inupon that particular short.

Of course slight modifications could be made in this apparatus withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis- In a game apparatus, a board, a central colored section representedin the center of the board, said colored section being designated as abank, one hundred and sixty series of holes arranged in a eirclesurrounding the central portion at a distance therefrom, said circle ofholes being divided into ten and each tenth series of holes numberedfrom 1 to 10, colored sections adapted to surround every ten series ofholes in the circle,

a line composed of twenty-three series of holes extendin g from thecircle opposite every alternate colored section in said circle to thecentral portion or bank, a colored section surrounding the ten series ofholes from the cirele in these lines numbered from 1 to 10, a series ofholes leading inward from the circle of holes part way to the centralportion, said series of holes being opposite the colored sections in thecircle lying between the colored sections from which the lines oftwenty-three series of holes lead, holes formed in the central portionor bank, one hole being opposite eachof the lines of twenty-three seriesof holes leading into said bank, a series of holes arranged in eachcorner of the board, each hole of said series being numbered from 1 upto the limit of the number of holes,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT J. GRAHAM.

lVitnesses:

H. HALLOOK, L. W. MonRIsoN.

